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Carl Tanzler, who was also known as Count Carl von Cosel (February 8, 1877 – July 23, 1952), was a German-American radiologist who became tragically obsessed with a young patient named Elena Miagro “Helen” de Hoyos (1909 – 1931). At a time when Tuberculosis still claimed countless lives, Tanzler encountered Elena during his work treating sufferers of the disease. He became infatuated with her after having a vision of a dark-haired woman, eerily resembling his patient, and believed her to be his destined love.
In 1926, Elena Hoyos married Luis Mesa and became pregnant, but soon suffered a miscarriage. Mesa then abandoned her, moving to Florida. As if to compound her misfortunes, other family members contracted tuberculosis. Eventually, the illness also claimed Elena's life. During her illness, she received treatments from Tanzler, who immediately recognized her as the woman he had envisioned and vowed to save her. His affection for her deepened, and he began showering her with gifts, including jewelry and clothing. He confessed his love to Elena, a love he intended to preserve even after death.
Despite Tanzler’s relentless efforts, Elena Hoyos passed away. Without objection from her family, Tanzler took charge of the funeral arrangements and funded the construction of a mausoleum for Elena. This tomb would soon become a place of disturbing nightly rituals for Tanzler. Each evening, after finishing his work, while most people were enjoying dinner at home, he would visit her grave. But he didn’t just place flowers; Tanzler had a key and would sneak into the tomb, lying beside Elena’s lifeless body. After six months of this unsettling behavior, he took things a step further by stealing her corpse and bringing it back to his home. What followed would become even more grotesque.
Tanzler attempted to reconstruct the decomposing body of Elena by using piano wire to reconnect severed bones and stuffing her body with rags to give it some form. When her eyes decayed, he replaced them with glass ones. As her skin rotted away, he applied layers of silk soaked in wax to preserve her appearance. He crafted a wig from hair given to him by Elena’s mother after the funeral to cover her bald skull. Tanzler dressed her in elaborate clothes and doused her with perfume to mask the overwhelming stench of decay. Elena's corpse remained in his bed day and night, and in his madness, Tanzler even inserted a tube into her body for sexual purposes.
Nine years later, rumors surfaced that Tanzler had kept Elena’s corpse in his home, prompting her sister to confront him. Tanzler was arrested and underwent a psychological evaluation. He was deemed competent to stand trial and faced charges for desecrating a grave and removing a body without consent. However, due to the statute of limitations, he was not convicted, much to the distress of Hoyos' family.
Due to the extensive media attention surrounding the bizarre events, the body of Elena Hoyos was temporarily displayed at a local funeral home. Eventually, her remains were returned to the cemetery, but she was buried in an unmarked grave to prevent Tanzler from attempting to exhume her body again.
After the disturbing events, Tanzler relocated and went on to write an autobiography, which was later published in the fantasy magazine “Fantastic Adventures.” Despite his past arrest, Tanzler created a new figure of Elena from her death mask. When he passed away, his home was discovered to contain this effigy, which had been left undisturbed for three weeks. Some reports speculate that Elena's body had been secretly returned to him, and that the effigy was actually her true remains.
